Stamp 0 Ireland
The Ireland Stamp 0 permits its holders to reside in Ireland on a temporary basis.
This permission is usually granted to retirees, elderly dependents of non-EEA citizens in Ireland and academic visitors.
For further help with the Stamp 0, call the IAS on +353 061 518 025, or contact us online.
What is Stamp 0?
The Stamp 0 is a residence permit, allowing non-EEA nationals to live in Ireland for a temporary period.
The people that will usually be eligible for a Stamp 0 include retirees, elderly dependents of non-EEA citizens living in Ireland and academic visitors of Irish universities or colleges.
To get Stamp 0, you have to be fully financially self-sufficient. Otherwise, your sponsor must be fully financially self-sufficient and able to provide help.
With any further enquiries about the Stamp 0, you can reach out to our immigration experts on +353 061 518 025, or contact us online.
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Key Criteria for Stamp 0 Ireland
The specific groups of people eligible to receive this stamp are as follows:
Elderly Dependent Relative
Stamp 0 permission may be granted to non-EEA nationals who are the elderly dependent parents or Irish citizens or individuals who are residing in the State pursuant to a lawful immigration permission such as Stamp 1, 4 or 5.
To qualify from Stamp 0 permission as a dependent parent, the individuals must be able to prove that they are supported financially by their Irish citizen/Irish resident sponsor, and there must be evidence of this social dependency between parties.
The individual sponsoring the dependent must be able to prove that they have earned a net income of at least €60,000 in the case of one parent and €75,000 in the case of two parents in each of the three years preceding the application.
In an instance where the elderly parent themselves has a guaranteed income arriving in the future such as a pension or savings, this may be taken into consideration by the Department of Justice and Equality when assessing their application.
Applications for the Stamp 0 from elderly dependent parents who are non-visa required citizens, are generally required to be made from outside of the State. There have been instances of processing on some occasions from inside of the State, but this will depend upon the circumstances of each application.
Person of Independent Means
People of independent means may also be eligible to receive the Stamp 0. These people must be on an individual income of at least €50,000 per year.
These applicants must have access to a lump sum of money in order to cover any sudden major expenses that may come up. This lump sum must be equal to, for example, the price of a dwelling in the State.
The financial documentation provided should be presented in a spreadsheet format and will be converted into Euros. This should clearly show all income and spendings each month.
The financial documents provided will need to be certified by an Irish accountancy firm that can understand the format of overseas banking/accountancy documentation.
Visiting Academic
Academics applying for the Stamp 0 have to be visiting an Irish university. They will need to be paid from outside of Ireland and can’t work in Ireland for any more than 12 months.
As well as retirees, dependents of non-EEA citizens and academic visitors, you may also be eligible for this visa stamp if you are looking to extend a short-term visit due to exceptional humanitarian circumstances.
You may also be eligible if you want to work for an overseas company to do a task for a short period of time.
The first three categories are the most common recipients of the Stamp 0 visa in Ireland. There are additional stamp 0 requirements for all eligible applicants.
Stamp 0 Conditions
Stamp 0 will give you permission to remain in Ireland for a temporary period based on the following conditions:
- In order to qualify for the stamp 0, you must be of independent means and fully financially self-sufficient. In this case, you will need to provide proof, which can be done with a bank statement.
- Otherwise, your sponsor in Ireland must be of independent means and ready to support you completely. In this case, your sponsor must sign an undertaking which will confirm that they take responsibility for a dependent relative, and that if you receive any state funds they will personally reimburse it. Also, the sponsor will need to provide proof that they can give you full accommodation during your stay.
- You may not receive any benefits or use publicly funded services in Ireland. For example, you cannot be treated at a public hospital.
- You must have private medical insurance. This insurance must be at or above the VHI Plan D level or equivalent in order to qualify.
- You can only engage in a business, trade or profession if this has been granted in a letter of permission from Immigration Service Delivery.
While the Stamp 0 is a temporary residence permit, you are able to renew your stamp 0 each year as long as you still meet the conditions of the immigration permission.
Stamp 0 Financial Requirements
Applicants for the Stamp 0 will need to prove that they have financial backing from their own money, or from a relative that they are dependent upon.
Elderly dependent relatives may prove that they have the sufficient financial backing from a sponsor by providing proof that their sponsor is going to support this relative financially for the foreseeable future.
The sponsor must be able to prove that their income is €60,000 at a minimum after tax and deductions. If there are two elderly dependents, this amount will have to be at least €75,000. The money in question will need to have been received for each of the three years prior to the application.
If the elderly dependent relative themself has another guaranteed income like a pension or savings, this can be stated within the application and go towards meeting the financial criteria.
Applicants of independent means must be able to show that they have access to at least €50,000 per year, as well as a lump sum of money in case of any unforeseen expenses that they may encounter.
The lump sum that one should have will need to equate to the price of a home in Ireland. Because this can vary by location it is a good idea to browse property websites for more precise figures. Usually, you should plan towards around €100,000.
In order to prove the above, you will have to prepare a spreadsheet or a document in a tabular format in euros that will display your finances month by month. This document will then need to be certified by an Irish accounting firm.
Any funds reported in these documentations will need to be readily available and accessible money or pension; investments will not be valid towards the application. You may submit bank statements and other financial documents within your application.
Required Documents for Stamp 0 Application
The documents required will differ depending on each applicant, and you cannot submit all documents simultaneously.
Elderly Dependent Relative
The documents that an elderly dependent relative will need includes:
- A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
- A copy of their birth certificate
- Evidence of their relationship to their sponsor, which may include the sponsor’s birth certificate showing the dependent as a parent
- Details of other family members in Ireland, which must include their legal status
- Proof of available funds of the applicant has, which may be shown by bank statements
- Evidence that the sponsor meets the financial requirements of €60,000 or €75,000
- Details of the accommodation they will reside in
- Proof of full private medical insurance
- Details of the applicants intentions in Ireland.
Person of Independent Means
The documents that a person of independent means will need includes:
- A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
- A copy of their birth certificate
- A copy of a marriage certificate or the equivalent, such as proof of a civil partnership
- Details of any other family members currently residing in Ireland, with their immigration status
- Proof of available funds of the applicant has, which may be shown by bank statements
- Legitimate financial documents, approved by an Irish-based accounting firm
- A declaration of health
- A police clearance certificate
- Proof of full private medical insurance
- Details of the reasons for requesting permission to remain in the State
Visiting Academic
The documents that a visiting academic will need includes:
- A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
- Details of the reasons for their request to remain in Ireland
- Details of any other family members currently in Ireland, with their legal status included
- Proof of all available funds of the application, which can be shown by bank statements
- A letter from the Irish university which the applicant will be working at, to confirm that they will be working within the university for a set period no longer than 12 months
- A letter from the university in their home country which confirms their position within this institution and confirmation that the home university will be paying them while they work in Ireland
- Proof of full coverage, private medical insurance
- A police clearance certificate
Stamp 0 Application Process
Overview
You may apply for the Stamp 0 permission from within Ireland or from outside the State.
If you are a citizen of a country with no visa requirement, you may submit your application while in Ireland or from outside of the country. Elderly dependent relatives will have to submit an application for family reunification. The family reunification applications can only be made from outside of the state regardless of whether they are a visa required person or not.
Those from visa-required countries who are applying for the Stamp 0 will need to submit their application from outside of the country. If you are in Ireland on a visitor visa, the Visa Waiver Programme or the British Irish Visa Scheme, you will need to leave the State before applying for the Stamp 0 permission.
There are generally two to three steps in total that must be completed if you want to obtain a Stamp 0.
Apply for Immigration Preclearance
The first thing you will need to do when applying for Stamp 0 permission is to get immigration preclearance, or permission to travel to Ireland, with a letter and the required documentation.
Upon success of this step you will then receive a Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division.
Apply for a Visa
After this you will need to apply for a visa. One of the Long Stay D visas is relevant here. Elderly relatives will be able to apply under the Family visa category, and other applicants can apply under other appropriate Long Stay visas. You must include your Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer as part of your application.
If you are successful in your application for the visa, the Irish Immigration Service will grant you a letter of permission. This, with the Letter of Offer will be presented on the condition that you pass all of the visa checks and satisfy any other requirements from a border Immigration Officer.
When travelling to Ireland you will need to present all of these documents to the border Immigration Officer. They will then review these documents and permissions, if they are satisfied with these you will then be permitted to enter the country.
Apply for Permission to Remain
In Ireland, you have to register at your local immigration office to receive permission to remain. Both visa and non-visa required nationals will be required to register.
Your permission to remain will usually be granted for a year, and may be renewed each year if you continue to meet the criteria.
Applicants will need to register at the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Dublin, or at a local visa office in order to get their Irish Residence Permit.
For more information regarding the process of applying for a Stamp 0, call the IAS on +353 061 518 025, or contact us online.
How Can IAS Help?
At IAS, we have an incredibly talented and experienced team of immigration lawyers who are ready to help you obtain the visa stamp that you require. We will be able to help you through each step of the process and make your application as straightforward as possible.
We specialise in a whole range of Irish visas, and therefore will be able to talk you through exactly which one will suit your requirements, and we can discuss whether you will be eligible.
If you would like to discuss your options further, or need some support with the application process then please do not hesitate to contact our team on +353 061 518 025, or contact us online.
Last modified on October 26th, 2023 at 9:45 am
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Stamp 0 is a temporary residence permit, so the time that you spend in Ireland on this stamp will not count as reckonable residence if you are planning to apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation at some point in the future.
You will be able to stay in Ireland for multiple years if you renew your Stamp 0, and continue to meet the requirements of this permission.
The dependent is someone supported by someone else financially on a long-term basis. Social dependency will also count towards this application process.
You will need to be able to prove that the elderly relative cannot support themselves, and cannot get any other form of support if they try to support themselves financially.
The elderly relative in question must have been dependent on the sponsor prior to starting the application process. You will need to be able to prove proof of financial payments that support the needs of the elderly relative.
You will need to provide as many documents and pieces of proof as possible until the Irish Immigration Service Delivery is convinced of your case.